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1) I have two 1.5 inch RES's and I'm not sure if their eyes are swollen or puffy does anyone have a good picture of a small RES and how the eyes should look ?

2)Is it common for RES to swim with their eyes closed. I used Amquel and Novaqua to treat the water they are swimming in is that o.k ?

Take a picture of their eyes and we will access the situation from that.

no, that's not normal. i've never heard of those treatments, so i'm not sure.

When did you start thinking that their eyes were swollen? A pic or two would be helpful...

Amquel and Novaqua are find to treat the water. But you're not using them both at the same time, are you (you shouldn't)? How much are you using. Don't use more than is recommended.

Amquel and Novaqua are used for treating water for aquarium fish ... Their eyes looked puffy about 2 days ago after I started using a UVB bulb so I turned off the UVB light yesterday. I'll see if they remain puffy looking ... It looks like they are opening their eyes a little when they swim but I would think that they would keep their eyes open during swimming. I'll get a picture up today see what you guys think..

I'm suspicious of the UVB bulb because of the timing. What brand and strength bulb are you using? When turtle eyes have been irritated by UVB, they seem to take more than a couple of days to heal.

ZooMed 26 watts..I'm thinking the same thing myself...One guy has improved from yesterday when I turned off the UVB light and the other little guy looks somewhat better from yesterday there are some pic's...

Try moving the UVB bulb father away from the basking spot, but leave it on. Changes won't take effect immediatly so be patient to see how distance makes a difference. I used to have trouble with the coil UVB bulbs, so I switched to Mercury Vapor Bulbs

there have been some problems with the zoo med bulbs doing that to turtles. most people use the exo terra 5.0 26 watt and they seem to do pretty good. the MVB bulbs that papoopeepoo are good if you get the right kind but you have to have a tank that is at least 55 gallons

I think I will just have to get a larger tank sooner rather than later so I can do this properly...I have them both in a 10 gallon tank since I just got them a week ago..I have a used mercury vapor bulb that was given to me about a year ago how would I know if it's still effective ? Are they also only good for one year ?

MVB bulbs should be replaced annually. even though they may still produce light they do not produce UVB needed. once you upgrade to a tank that is at least 55 gallons get a mega ray MVB or a t rex MVB. if you were to use an MVB bulb in your 10 gallon tank now it would heat up the tank to a dangerous level.

If the MVB bulb wasn't used, it should still be good. The strength of the UVB rays diminishes over time with use, and many people replace them after one year of use.

Ok....The swelling has gone down and has now begun to eat again : ) .....I must of had the UVB light to close to them....What do you guys think about using a plant light bulb ? Can I use this bulb as a heat source ? Will I get any benefit from it as opposed to a regular light bulb? For now they will be going out for natural sunlight for 1/2 hour per day until I get everything set up..Any suggestions ?

Plant light bulb won't work. Doesn't provide UVB - which is what's required. The only thing (besides good old natural sunlight, which is the gold standard) that works is a UVB bulb designed for reptiles. The packaging must specify that it provides UVB and the percent. the exo terra repti glo 5.0 26 watt compact fluorescent mentioned above is a good one. There are several good mercury vapor bulbs but they need to be used with the larger tanks.

The zoo med bulb you have won't provide heat - it's a fluorescent and thus it burns cool. As it does provide UVB, you may be able to continue using it - just be sure not to get it too close to the turtle. If you try it again at a greater distance but your turtle continues to have eye problems, then you should probably think about replacing the zoo med bulb with a repti glo.

My wife has been putting them outside in the sun for a 1/2 hour a day but its a pain in @$$ to do that everyday.. The tank I have is to small and it needs to be covered for protection from our cats...Any suggestions on a temporary fix until they get larger and I set up a outdoor Rubbermaid stock tank?

Have you cleaned the tank with any chemicals? There is another post somewhere but the person used some bleach to get algae off the sides of the tank and their turtles eyes got swollen too.